Announcing TMO's New Product Scoring System

By John Martellaro

Apr 20th, 2015 5:58 PM EDT

For all of time, well since 2002, The Mac Observer has used a scale of 1 to 5 in its reviews for scoring products. On Monday, we rolled out our new rating system, one designed to offer practical buying advice. Here's how it works.

Rather than pitching our reviews as numbers, we want to give our readers a call to action. We've always written the kind of reviews we want to read, and we wanted our ratings to match. Accordingly, there are no numbers associated with our new system, and instead we are offering a call to action based on how much we liked (or disliked) the product.

Outstanding Product. Get it Now!

We Like it. You Should Get It.

It's Okay. Get It If You Need it.

Not Recommended. Steer Clear!

TMO staff focused on this language because that's how we felt we'd talk to a colleague or friend about a product in the normal course of conversation. If that's how we think and talk, then that's how we should rate a product.

We'll be using this system for all future product reviews. We'd love to hear what you think in the comments below.